Out and About
by SkitsMix
Summary: [G1] Writing meme oneshot! Characters: Fireflight, Skywarp. Phrase: Space cadet.


**A/N:** Writing meme! The one where someone gives you a couple of characters and a phrase, and you write a little scene involving those characters and said phrase. Third verse, same as the first, little bit louder'n a little bit worse! Well, hopefully not worse. As usual, comments/reviews/crits very much welcome. Whee!

Characters: Fireflight, Skywarp  
Phrase: "Space cadet"

It was morning at the Ark, and things were a little quieter than normal. Yet another Decepticon attack had been foiled a couple of days ago, and while the Decepticons had been sent packing with their proverbial tails between their legs and would most likely be out of action for a week or two, the Autobots hadn't gotten off lightly either. Over half the crew were recovering from various injuries, which meant most of those still uninjured were left to pull double duty.

In the Aerialbots' case, it meant that Air Raid and Fireflight not only had their patrol routes extended, but had to cover them without wingmates. Silverbolt hadn't been happy about sending his brothers out solo and had argued with the command element for a while, but Prime and Prowl had won out in the end. At that point, there just weren't enough mechs capable of covering the area available.

Air Raid had bitched and moaned about long, boring patrols, a freshly-repaired and still-grounded Slingshot had snapped back that at least he was -able- to fly out, and it would've degenerated into yet another brotherly brawl between the two if Silverbolt hadn't finally lost his temper and yelled them both down before practically kicking Air Raid out of the Ark, with Fireflight close behind. Needless to say, it had been a pretty entertaining start to the day.

Fireflight actually liked patrol, as long as his course didn't take him too close to inconvenient little obstacles like radio towers or large mountains. It didn't require too much attention or fancy flying, and gave him a perfect excuse to indulge himself in a whole lot of eyeballing the view from twenty thousand feet. Once he was up in the air and away from the Ark, the red F-4 cruised lazily along on his assigned route, only a small part of his attention on his scanners as he admired the scenery laid out like an intricate tapestry below him. The sky was a fresh, cloudless blue and the air was crisp and clear, allowing him to see for miles in every direction. It was a beautiful day to be flying.

He was half-way through his patrol when his scenery-gazing was suddenly and rudely interrupted by a flash of purple light and a loud 'pop' of displaced air as Skywarp materialised just off the red Aerialbot's port wing. "Holy slag!" Fireflight yelped, instinctively banking away from the black and purple F-15.

"Relax, space cadet," Skywarp sneered, easily keeping up with Fireflight's attempts at evasive manoeuvres. "If I wanted to actually hurt ya I'd have just 'ported in on your six and fired a coupla missiles up your aft."

He had a point, as much as Fireflight hated to admit it, though it didn't keep him from sending out a brief call over his team's private comm. The Aerialbot eased back into level flight, still watching Skywarp warily as he scanned around him as far as his sensors would stretch, searching for anyone that might be lying in wait. "What -do- y'want, then?"

The black F-15 barrel-rolled lazily. "What, a mech can't drop by just to say hello?" he snickered. "I just wanted to talk."

"Talk?" Fireflight echoed suspiciously. "Like that whole time machine fiasco with Starscream? No thanks."

"Far as I remember, you lot were the ones who wanted to talk first then," Skywarp pointed out, then snickered again. "'Sides, you see a time machine around here anywhere? 'Cause if you do, I'd love to know what drugs you've been sniffing."

"I haven't been sniffing any drugs," Fireflight retorted a little indignantly. "Seriously, Skywarp, what do you want?"

The Seeker let out a rather theatrical sigh. "Well, if you're gonna be like -that-... I'm just bored." With both Thundercracker and Starscream out of action due to the last battle, and Megatron storming around the Nemesis like an angry, violent thundercloud, Skywarp had to keep himself amused and out of too much commander-wrath-inducing mischief -somehow-.

There was silence for several long moments as Fireflight tried to wrap his mind around this idea. "... You 'ported here to 'talk' just because you're -bored-?"

"Yeah." Skywarp rocked slightly from side to side in a jet-shrug, then snickered again. "That, and I kinda had a bet goin' with Thundercracker that I could startle one of you losers badly enough that you'd crash and burn," he admitted with malicious cheer, then let out another theatrical sigh. "That's ten creds I won't be seein' again any time soon. Why couldn't you have just cooperated and crashed like a decent little Autobrat?"

"Go suck a snowblower, Skywart," Fireflight shot back almost automatically - you didn't live with Air Raid and Slingshot for long without picking up at least -some- of their curses and insults, though the red Aerialbot's delivery of the line lacked his brothers' punch.

Skywarp's only reply was to burst into raucous laughter, weaving back and forth a little. "Primus, is that the best insult you could come up with?" the seeker finally asked once he'd managed to regain his composure.

"I don't get much practice," Fireflight answered with as much dignity as he could muster. This was all getting a little too surreal for him, and he found himself almost hoping that Skywarp would stop talking and start shooting, just to restore the universe back to its normal order.

It was with a nearly overwhelming sense of relief that Fireflight spotted another black F-15 approaching rapidly, except this one was a far more welcome sight than the one currently cruising along off his wing. Skywarp apparently spotted the newcomer approaching as well, because he began to lazily bank away from the red F-4. "Whoops, go time. See ya later, sucker!" The Seeker disappeared with another 'pop' and flash of purple light, leaving behind a very puzzled but relieved Fireflight.

He slowed a little to let the other jet catch up, then settled comfortably into wingman position off its port wing. "Hey, 'Raid. Primus, I'm glad you showed up when you did."

"I can imagine!" the black Aerialbot laughed. "Got your comm, came over fast as I could. Saw Skywarp 'port out. What th'slag did that joker want?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know," Fireflight admitted, still a little weirded out by the entire encounter. "He just... talked, said he was bored. I'm just glad it didn't degenerate into a fight."

"Huh." Air Raid considered this for a moment. "Crazy."

Fireflight chuckled. "No kidding. I think all the 'Cons are in one way or another."

"Hah! Yeah," his brother agreed cheerfully as he began to bank off to return to his own patrol. "Must be somethin' in th'water."


End file.
